Cooling bed

ABSTRACT

A plurality of bed rails are disposed in spaced apart, horizontal, parallel arrangement and each includes a plurality of regularly arranged cooling bed contours on which elongate members rest while cooling. A plurality of power operated dogs are disposed between adjacent bed rails and the dogs engage the elongate members and move them along the contours of the bed rails, turning the members over.

United States Patent Toperzer et al.

[451 Sept. 26, 1972 [54] COOLING BED [72] Inventors: John W. Toperzer; Shibendra P.

Neogi, both of Pittsburgh; Dale K. V

'lie s zylfiali yillegaflyf.Pa:, a [73] Assignee: Koppers Co mpany Inc. [22] Filed: April 5, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 131,179

US. Cl ..266/2 R, 72/201, 72/251, 263/6 R Int. Cl. ..C2ld l/00 Field of Search ..266/5 R, 2 R, 2 A; 263/6 R, 263/6 A; 72/201, 251

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ll/l903 Neeland ..266/2 R Primary Examiner-Gerald A. Dost Attorney-Sherman H. Barber, Oscar B. Brumback and Olin E. Williams [5 7] ABSTRACT A plurality of bed rails are disposed in spaced apart. horizontal, parallel arrangement and each includes a plurality of regularly arranged cooling bed contours on which elongate members rest while cooling. A plurality of power operated dogs are disposed between adjacent bed rails and the dogs engage the elongate members and move them along the contours of the bed rails, turning the members over.

10 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures BM-("menu PATENTEMEPZBI IZ 3.593.954

SHEET 2 OF 2 251 FIG. 3

INVENTORS Jay/v w. TOPERZER, .SH/BENDRA A N506! DALE k. BEACH) COOLING BED BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Heretofore, the usual method for transferring billets which have just been severed from a continuous cast strand had been to position the billets side by side in abutting relation on a cooling bed that comprises spaced apart parallel flat rails. Pushers or conveyors operated by a chain drive mechanism engage a plurality of such billets and move them along the rails until they reach the end of the cooling bed from which they, in a cooled state, are removed to storage or to another location for further processing.

This method of handling and cooling billets creates a problem, however, because abutting billets do not cool uniformly and there is uneven heat transfer from the billets to the atmosphere. Each billet radiates heat to the adjacent billets which results in uneven surface temperatures of the abutting billet faces. Excessive warping frequently occurs because of this uneven heat transfer, and the warped billets have to be reheated and straightened.

In order to eliminate such warping, the billets in some prior art cooling bed apparatus are subjected to a rotary motion about their longitudinal axes as they progress toward the discharge end of the cooling bed. Some prior art devices employ a saw-tooth type bed consisting of both fixed and movable supports which reciprocate thereby lifting and pushing each billet in a way to product the rotary motion. Such a cooling bed, however, is quite cumbersome and heavy, and the mechanism is complicated, using linkages working from a cam type motion or other apparatus that rotates the billets. 1

Those skilled in the art will recognize from the following description that the cooling bed of the present invention is much simpler, lighter, and easier to construct, and it is much more reliable in operation; yet it still produces the desired rotation of the billets as they cool and the billets are not in contact so they do not warp while in transit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A cooling bed for elongate members such as billets includes a plurality of horizontally and parallely arranged bed rails having contoured upper surfaces which include spaced apart protrusions that engage the elongate members. Alternate bed rails are disposed with their protrusions between like protrusions on adjacent bed rails. An endless chain, having links that a are pusher dogs, is looped around spaced apart sprockets, one of which is driven; the pusher dogs engaging and moving the elongate members along the contoured surface and rotating each member about its own longitudinal axis.

For a further understanding of the invention and for features and advantages thereof reference may be made to the following description and the drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of equipment in accordance with the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a portion of a cooling bed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view along line II-II of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view at an enlarged scale of a portion of the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 illustrates a cooling bed 11, in accordance with the invention, that consists of two main parts: a plurality of contoured bed rails 13, 13a; and chain guide 15 and pusher dogs 49, which engage and move billets 17 over the contoured surface of the bed rails 13, 13a.

Each contoured bed rail 13, 13a comprises a generally rectangular elongate lower portion 19, 19a and a plurality of spaced apart protrusions bumps 21, 21a disposed thereon. Each protrusion or hump 21, 21a is shaped as shown in FIG. 3; that is, one surface 23 of the hump on the left hand side of a vertical axis 25 slopes upwardly at an angle of about 30 to the horizontal; the surface 23 merges with a rounded crown surface 27; the crown surface 27 merges with a downwardly sloping surface 29, on the right hand side of the vertical axis 25, that is arranged at an angle of about 45 to the horizontal. The top surface 31 of the lower portion 19 is level between spaced apart humps 21 on the same bed rails 13.

It will be noted that the bed rails are so arranged that the humps 21 of one bed rail 13 are staggered with respect to the hump 21a of an adjacent bed rail 13a. This means that the humps 21 of alternate bed rails are aligned transversely of the apparatus 11, and that the humps 21a of the alternate bed rails 13a are aligned transversely of the apparatus 11. Further the humps of one bed rail are aligned with the level surfaces 31 of the intermediate bed rails.

The bed rails 13, 13a are supported on spaced apart pedestals 33 which are fixed suitably to foundation supports 35. In like manner, the chain guide and pusher dogs 15 are supported on suitable spaced apart pedestals 37 and foundations 39 disposed at spaced apart locations along the length of the bed rails 13, 13a. Each bed rail is bolted as at 41 to a pair of clips 43 and elongate holes are provided for the bolts 41 to allow for thermal expansion of the bed rail. By having the bed rails 13, 13a secured by bolts 41, the bed rails 13, 13a may be easily removed and replaced whenever necessary or desirable.

Each chain guide 15 includes a trough 45 which is channel-shaped having upstanding flanges and a horizontal web. An endless link-belt type chain 47 having pusher dog side plates 49 is shaped about as shown in FIG. 2. The channel-shaped guide 45 is located at about the same level as the lower surface of the bed rails 13, 13a.

The chain 47 is looped around spaced apart sprockets 51, 53, which are mounted on shafts 55. These shafts 55, 57 are journaled in pedestal type bearings 59, 61 suitable mounted to fixed supports 63. The shaft 55 and bearings 59 are so arranged and installed that they can be adjusted to take up any slack in the chain 47 when necessary. At some convenient location relative to the apparatus 11, there is a motor 65 and speed reducer 67 which is drivingly connected to one of the shafts, say to shaft 57 as suggested in FIGS. 1 and 2.

of the axis 25 to the right side. The billet 17 then flopsover the crown surface 27 and gravitates down the 45 sloping surface 29. The billet 17 has now been rotated 1 through an angle of 90.

The pusher dogs 49 continue to advance toward the right, however, and soon re-engage the billet 17. This time the billet advances up the 30 sloping surface 23a of the bed rail 13a. The billet 17 again flops over and gravitates down the surface 29a. It then remains in contact with that surface until the pusher dogs 49 again contact the billetand urge it up the 30 sloping surface 23 of another hump 21 of bed rail 13. Thus, the billet 17 has now been rotated 180 in two moves along the length of the bed rails; As the billet continues to move along the bed rails, it rotates again another 90. Finally it rotates another 90 and has, therefore, made'one complete revolution about its own longitudinal axis. This step-wise rotational movement is carried out until the billet reaches the right hand of the apparatus and is removed in a known manner to another place or locatron.

A feature of the apparatus of the present invention is that it can, with equal ease, handle billets as large as 8 inches square as: well as billets only 4 inches square. When the billets are 6 inches square and larger, however, it is necessary to remove every other pusher dog side plate and replace those plates that are removed with ordinary parallel sided side plates like those used in ordinary flexibleroller chains. Likewise it is necessary to remove the bed rails 13a. The reason for these changes is that billets that are 6 inches square and larger wouldtouch if every link in the chain was a pusher dog and if the intermediate bed rails 13a remained in place whereas, when every other link is a pusher dog link then the billets are spaced twice as far apart and the larger size billets will not touch each other.

A feature of the present invention is that each bed rail is secured individually to the support structure so that in case a bed rail isdamaged or is worn so badly that it needs to be replaced, such a bed rail may be quickly and easily removed and replaced.

A feature of the present invention is that each bed rail may be replaced by other bed rails having a different contoured surface when desirable or necessary..

Although the invention has been described herein with a certain degree of articularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only as an example and that the invention is defined by what is hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

l. A cooling bed for elongate members comprising:

a. a plurality of horizontally and parallely arranged fixed bed rails, each bed rail having a contoured upper surface which includes spaced apart protrusions on said surface;

b. an endless chain comprised of links that are pusher dogs, said chain being disposed in parallel relation to said bed rails; and

c. means for moving said chain so that said pusher dogs engage and move one of said elongate members over said contoured surface, said contoured surface being so shaped that said member rotates about its longitudinal axis. as it moves along said bed rails.

2. The structure of claim 1 including:

a. means for supporting said bed rails;

b. means supporting said endless chain at substantially the same height as said bed rails; and

0. means releasably securing each bedrail to said means for supporting the bed rails.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein:

a. each protrusion has an upwardly sloping first sur- I face that merges with an arcuate crown surface that merges with a downwardly sloping second sur-v face.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein:

.a. alternate first bed rails are disposed with their respectiveprotrusions lying along lines substantially perpendicular to the bed rails; and wherein,

b. intermediate second bed rails, disposed between said first rails, are disposed'with their protrusions lying along lines substantially perpendicular to the bed rails and inline with the spaces between the protrusions of said first bed rails.

5. The structure of claim 1 wherein:

a. every other link in said chain is a pusher dog.

6. The structure of claim 3 wherein:

a.'said first surface slopes upwardly from a horizontal plane at an angle of 30; and

b. said third surface slopes downwardly toward said horizontal plane at an angle of 45.

7. The structure of claim 1 wherein:

a. said means for moving said chain includes:

i. a pair of sprockets over which each chain .is

looped,

ii. a speed reducer connected to a drive shaft on which one of each pair of sprockets is mounted, and 1 iii. a source of rotary power to turn said speed reducer and said shaft.

8. A cooling bed for elongate members comprising:

a. a plurality of fixed bed rails arranged horizontally and parallely with each bed rail having a contoured upper surface comprising a plurality of spaced apart protrusions with each protrusion havmg:

i. a first surface sloping upwardly from a horizontal plane at an angle of 30 degrees and merging with ii. an arcuate second surface that mergeswithv iii. a third surface sloping downwardly toward said horizontalplane at an angle of 45 degrees;

b. an comprised chain comprises of links that are pusher dogs, said chain being looped around spaced apart sprockets that are mounted on respective shafts and with said chain being disposed in parallel relation to said bed rails;

c. a speed reducer connected to one of said shafts;

and

d. a source of rotary power drivingly connected to said speed reducer for turning said one shaft and moving said chain and pusher dogs in a direction parallel to said bed rails, said pusher dogs engaging and moving elongate members into engagement with said protrusions and thereby rotating each elongate member about its respective longitudinal axis.

9. The structure of claim 8 wherein:

a. alternate first bed rails are disposed with their respective protrusions lying along first lines that 10 mg I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF I RECTION Patent No. 3,698,954 Dated September 26,- 1972 Inventor(s) John W. Toperzer, Shibendra P. 'Neogi, and Dale K. Beachy It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and .that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

I v w Column 4, line 59?, change "comprised", to endless change "comprises" to comprised Signed and sealed this'20th day of November 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. RENE D.' TEGTMEYER Acting Commissioner of Patents Atte'stinq Officer 

1. A cooling bed for elongate members comprising: a. a plurality of horizontally and parallely arranged fixed bed rails, each bed rail having a contoured upper surface which includes spaced apart protrusions on said surface; b. an endless chain comprised of links that are pusher dogs, said chain being disposed in parallel relation to said bed rails; and c. means for moving said chain so that said pusher dogs engage and move one of said elongate members over said contoured surface, said contoured surface being so shaped that said member rotates about its longitudinal axis as it moves along said bed rails.
 2. The structure of claim 1 including: a. means for supporting said bed rails; b. means supporting said endless chain at substantially the same height as said bed rails; and c. means releasably securing each bed rail to said means for supporting the bed rails.
 3. The structure of claim 1 wherein: a. each protrusion has an upwardly sloping first surface that merges with an arcuate crown surface that merges with a downwardly sloping second surface.
 4. The structure of claim 1 wherein: a. alternate first bed rails are disposed with their respective protrusions lying along lines substantially perpendicular to the bed rails; and wherein, b. intermediate second bed rails, disposed between said first rails, are disposed with their protrusions lying along lines substantially perpendicular to the bed rails and in line with the spaceS between the protrusions of said first bed rails.
 5. The structure of claim 1 wherein: a. every other link in said chain is a pusher dog.
 6. The structure of claim 3 wherein: a. said first surface slopes upwardly from a horizontal plane at an angle of 30*; and b. said third surface slopes downwardly toward said horizontal plane at an angle of 45* .
 7. The structure of claim 1 wherein: a. said means for moving said chain includes: i. a pair of sprockets over which each chain is looped, ii. a speed reducer connected to a drive shaft on which one of each pair of sprockets is mounted, and iii. a source of rotary power to turn said speed reducer and said shaft.
 8. A cooling bed for elongate members comprising: a. a plurality of fixed bed rails arranged horizontally and parallely with each bed rail having a contoured upper surface comprising a plurality of spaced apart protrusions with each protrusion having: i. a first surface sloping upwardly from a horizontal plane at an angle of 30 degrees and merging with ii. an arcuate second surface that merges with iii. a third surface sloping downwardly toward said horizontal plane at an angle of 45 degrees; b. an comprised chain comprises of links that are pusher dogs, said chain being looped around spaced apart sprockets that are mounted on respective shafts and with said chain being disposed in parallel relation to said bed rails; c. a speed reducer connected to one of said shafts; and d. a source of rotary power drivingly connected to said speed reducer for turning said one shaft and moving said chain and pusher dogs in a direction parallel to said bed rails, said pusher dogs engaging and moving elongate members into engagement with said protrusions and thereby rotating each elongate member about its respective longitudinal axis.
 9. The structure of claim 8 wherein: a. alternate first bed rails are disposed with their respective protrusions lying along first lines that are substantially perpendicular to said bed rails, and b. intermediate second bed rails disposed between said first bed rails and having their respective protrusions lying along second lines that are parallel to and that are intermediate of said first lines.
 10. The structure of claim 8 wherein: a. every other link in said chain is a pusher dog. 